Author: Sara Crosby

Over the years, I’ve worn plenty of hats. I earned a BFA in Theatre from Stephens College in 1976, then spent about ten years chasing an acting career in NYC. But I eventually realized that what really drives me is understanding what motivates human behavior. So, I went back to school and got an MSW from Loyola University of Chicago. For the past 40 years, I’ve been a psychotherapist, public speaker, social justice advocate, and a SMART Recovery Family and Friends group facilitator. I also started a non-profit for youth in the arts, which is now in its 25th year. My three kids have long since grown up and started their own paths. Now, having recently retired, I’m learning to embrace myself in all my “Elder” glory as I step into the third act of my life.

Past

Past holiday
Past solstice
A New Year to come.
Past moments unearthed 
A sadness that envelopes me 
As the early twilight wraps itself
Around the bitterness of the cold 
That threatens to choke the breath
Right out of my being.
The darkness promising to draw a curtain on another day, 
Another moment, 
Another time.
Past loves
Past hopes
Past actions that were selfish 
Centered on personal need
Not on bringing the best of a child to the surface.
Those regrets crowd 
Crowd the here and now.
Time changes who we are, 
What we are, 
What is important, 
What is not.
That was then this is now.

Past

Yesterday

A grown woman 
Is missing her Mother and Dad 
And their legacy of what? 
Love? 
Regardless it swirls around me
Like the cold wind
Blows the snow at my feet 
I trudge forward into now. 
A cloud of sadness overhead
Its shadow bringing tears. 
Do I let it hang its sorrow over my head?
Or 
Do I shake it loose 
Move on 
Releasing what is past
Embracing what is now.